


let’s get lost tonight

by kamunamis



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 20:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21924802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kamunamis/pseuds/kamunamis
Summary: makoto helps haru with his future
Relationships: Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto
Comments: 5
Kudos: 21





	let’s get lost tonight

**Author's Note:**

> hello this is ,,, just soft makoharu content i hope u enjoy
> 
> itsmyusualphannie helped me w this

it’s not hard to notice that haru has hit a wall when it comes to post high school plans. he doesn’t put effort into his assignments anymore and when the guidance counselors would come into class, he would skip. it got worse when makoto announced that he was going to a university in tokyo to learn how to become a lifeguard and swimming instructor.

makoto would always push him to talk about it. it didn’t have to be with him, but he wanted haru to talk to someone. he cares about haru deeply, and he hates that he can’t do anything to ease his worries, whatever they are.

haru and makoto are sitting on the rooftop, as it’s still too cold to start swimming again. the rest of their friends are doing homework at rei’s house, but haru didn’t want to join in. makoto would rather keep haru company.

“haru-chan?” makoto asks, snapping him out of his trance.

“drop the -chan.” haru glares, and then sighs. “what is it?”

“have you thought about talking to amachan-sensei? or the-”

“no,” haru interrupts. he’s tired of everyone telling him what to do, that he needs to make a choice.

makoto looks dejected. “that’s fine. you don’t have to talk to them. i’m sure there are other people who will give you good advice.”

“you ask me this question every week knowing that my answer won’t change,” haru says. “why?”

he doesn’t answer. he doesn’t know how to answer that question. makoto can’t find the words to express that he’s just worried about haru and how his future is going to be. he obviously knows that haru loves swimming, since they’re on the swim team together, but haru has lost interest in that as well. haru wants to be free and to feel the water, which isn’t exactly uncommon for him to say, but it’s not a feasible plan.

makoto thinks that in a perfect world, he’d be able to grant haru’s wishes, and haru would still be able to live comfortably without any worries. but the world doesn’t work like that. haru needs to decide what he’s going to do post secondary school, and he’s running out of time.

makoto doesn’t want haru to make the wrong decision. ultimately, it’s going to be his decision to choose, not makoto’s. even if it’s not a decision that most people would choose, as long as haru is happy with it, that’s all that matters.

that’s when he’s hit with an idea. this coming weekend, there’s a professional swimmers competition almost a four-hour drive away, and if makoto could take them there, it might give haru the inspiration he needs to choose a path for his future.

“we don’t have school on friday,” makoto points out. “do you want to come with me somewhere?”

haru shrugs. “sure, i guess.”

“great! i’ll pick you up friday morning at sunrise. don’t forget to pack a bag,” makoto says. haru doesn’t say anything, and he gets up from where they’re sitting, leaving makoto alone to collect his thoughts.

-

although makoto was planning to leave at sunrise, haru has stalled them.

when makoto gets to haru’s door, haru is still in the bath. that didn’t surprise him, because it was normal for haru’s routine on school days. but when haru got out of the tub, he still insisted on frying mackerel for breakfast and then eating it at the table.

haru has a slightly unhealthy obsession with mackerel, but makoto doesn’t want to complain and argue with him this early in the morning. makoto might be an early riser, but haru definitely isn’t.

they get caught up in the morning traffic because haru took too long frying and eating the mackerel. makoto knows that it’s just how haru’s brain works. even if it’s an inconvenience, he’s just going to have to deal with it.

-

they get to tokyo a little bit before their hotel’s check in time, which means there’s time for lunch. haru gets another mackerel dish and makoto gets karaage.

they’re eating in silence, which isn’t unusual whenever makoto comes over to haru’s place. if haru had been at makoto’s house, it would be a completely different story.

“what are we doing here?” haru asks when he finishes his meal.

makoto just smiles at him. “there’s something i’m gonna show you tomorrow.’

“why not now?” haru grumbles.

“because,” makoto says while his mouth is full, “it’s tomorrow.”

haru looks at him skeptically and just sighs before staring out of the window while makoto eats.

-

“there’s only one bed.” makoto says when he unlocks the door to their hotel room. they’re going to take a short nap before dinner. the driving exhausted both of them. despite makoto’s pleads for haru to go to sleep while he was driving, he didn’t. 

in his rush to book the impromptu trip, he must’ve forgotten to switch the mark to double bed.

haru sighs. “i’ll sleep on the floor, you can take the bed. i know that your back hurts.”

“no!” makoto exclaims. “yes, my back hurts, but i don’t want yours to hurt either. i can take the floor.”

“i don’t want you to take the floor.”

“i don’t want  _ you  _ to take the floor.”

“let’s just share the bed,” haru decides. “i’m tired, i don’t want to argue anymore.”

haru doesn’t bother changing out of his jeans and shuts the blinds before flopping onto the bed.

“we did it when we were little, you’ll be fine,” he mumbles as he dozes off.

makoto doesn’t see why there would be a problem with it, and he takes his clothes off before getting into the bed. 

both of them end up oversleeping the alarm that makoto had set up for them.

“uwah?!” makoto cries out when he sees what time it is. it’s ten o’clock, they slept for five and half hours. “haru, get up! we overslept!”

haru grumbles in response.

“if we overslept just go back to sleep again.”

makoto yanks the covers off of haru. “we both know we’re going to just wake up at 2 in the morning. we should at least have dinner before going back to sleep.”

“i suppose you’re right,” haru says, yawning and stretching as he gets out of bed. “i’ll be in the bath if you need me.”

makoto chuckles and dials the number for room service. he doesn’t think twice before ordering a mackerel dish for haru.

-

“we’re near a stadium,” haru notices the next morning as they’re walking along the sidewalk. it’s windy and raining slightly, but neither of them seem to be bothered. usually the weather will let up in a few hours.

“yeah. what i want to show you is here.” makoto motions for haru to follow him. haru steps closer, and their arms brush against each other.

“sorry,” he mumbles.

makoto just smiles at him. “you’re alright.”

haru can see all of the flyers for the competition the closer they get to the stadium entrance.

“a competition?” haru asks, confused. “why did you want to show me this?”

makoto stops walking, and he turns around to face him. “i know you don’t want to think about swimming competitively as a career because it won’t be ‘free,’ but you won’t be happy if you don’t know what you want to do...and hopefully this competition will help you make a decision.”

“i...thank you,” haru says, pulling makoto in for a hug. “you didn’t have to do any of this for me. i think the counselors have given up on trying to figure out what to do.”

makoto smiles and hugs him tighter. “of course, haru-chan. you’re my best friend.”

haru can’t explain how he’s feeling right now. no one’s ever gone to great lengths to make sure that he’s okay, not even when his parents left him.

he’s too grateful for makoto to even care that he called him -chan again.

-

haru is in awe of the professional swimmers and their techniques. makoto is also amazed at them, but he can easily tell that haru has regained his interest in competitive swimming again with the way that his eyes sparkle.

“i think i’ve decided what i want to do,” haru says when there’s an intermission in between events.

makoto looks at him. “oh? what is it, haru-chan?”

“i want to swim around the world. i’m going to start caring about my swim times and try my hardest, so that i can swim nationals and see the world,” haru admits. “i didn’t think that swimming competitively would matter this much, but it does. swimming around the world and meeting new people to swim with feels like a dream.”

makoto smiles. “good for you, haru. i’’m happy that you know what your plan is now.”

“yeah, me too,” haru says as he turns to face makoto.

neither of them notice that their hands are now intertwined.

-

the weather gets worse later that evening when they get back to the hotel, and it turns into a storm. even though they’re safe now, they’re not sure if they’re going to be able to go home in the morning, because all of the roads are closed.

makoto is scared of storms. he’s been scared of storms for almost all of his life. when makoto was little, a fisherman who was a neighbor of his had drowned in the ocean because of a nasty storm. he still feels traumatised to this day.

“makoto,” haru says, snapping him out of his anxiety attack. “breathe. i’m here for you. i won’t let you get hurt.”

the sound of thunder booms once again.

“uwah?!” makoto shouts, and huddles closer to haru. “haru-chan!”

haru rubs makoto’s back. “you know i’m here. we’re safe, and we’re inside.”

he gets up after a moment, stretching. he pulls the blanket from the closet and gives it to makoto.

“here, keep yourself warm while i make tea for us.”

makoto nods and graciously accepts the blanket.

“how did you know that you wanted to be a swimming instructor?” haru asks when he comes back with their tea.

“when i taught kisumi’s brother at the public pool,” makoto says. “hayato was scared of the water, but i made sure to help him out. the look on his face after swam on his own for the first time made me happy.”

“well, i’m sure you’ll be a great instructor,” haru says.

“thank you, haru-chan,” makoto laughs. haru punches him in the arm.

“i told you to drop the -chan!”

“sorry, sorry!

-

“makoto? are you still awake?”

makoto tilts his head upwards to look at haru. they’re still huddled together, and even though the storm hasn’t passed yet, makoto is much calmer.

“what’s up?”

“i- uh…” haru scratches the back of his neck. “i love you. thank you for taking me to the competition.”

makoto is taken aback by what haru says. they usually show their affection towards each other rather than using words, since haru is a quiet person.

“love you too, haru-chan.”

haru kisses makoto on the forehead before rolling over away from him.

“drop the -chan,” he mumbles before makoto could hear his tiny snores.

“goodnight haru,” makoto chuckles before falling asleep himself.

-

haru opens his acceptance letter at makoto’s house about a month later. haru had rushed to make his applications perfect before their deadlines as soon as they got home from their impromptu road trip.

he gets a full ride scholarship to a university close to makoto’s, allowing him to study whatever he wants as long as he’s on their swim team. 

haru tackles makoto to the ground, hugging him as tightly as possible.

“thank you, makoto. i wouldn’t be here today without you.”

makoto smiles. “ah, you’re welcome, haru-chan.”

“drop the -chan.” there’s no malice in haru’s voice, and he steps forward to kiss him on the lips.

makoto blushes, clearly not expecting that as he kisses back.

“come on, let’s go tell rei and nagisa,” haru suggests as he grabs makoto’s hand and practically runs to the door.

he figures that they don’t need to talk about it, because they’re both happy the way they are.

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading!  
> tumblr: marutsuke-haru


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